Isnt It Queer

Jonny and Heather review recent hopeful developments in pushbacks and hinderences to trans bans and other anti-LGBTQ legislation. They also chronicle the distressing uptick in such legislation in 2023. In the back half of the show, they look forward to the election year of 2024 and speculate about the consequences of such a year on such legislation.They do their best to find the evidence for hopefulness while also acknowledging the reality of the situation.

Jonny curates a review of 2023 using voices from the community (and beyond) that were interviewed on IIQ in 2023. 24 guests featured.

Jonny and Heather review a host of trans creatives celebrated in song, opera, books and other publications. In the back half of the show, they uses DC Comics' queer versions of popular superheroes to spark a conversation aboud "Canon" and when it does and doesn't apply in fan culture. At the core of the conversation are the ways queer and trans representations push back at Canon and insist on representation. They end with a conversation of recent law suits over who owns the rights to Lord of the Rings and the limits of fan fiction's reach.

Jonny and Heather return to some recent stories that have had some elaborations and developments that are, from a certain angle, good news. Stories revisited include: further evidence that the brain drain in red states is causing economic impacts and the Supreme Court refuses to take up the Washington state conversion therapy ban case. In the back half of the show, they discuss Grok, the X (formerly Twitter) trans-affirming AI that is causing Elon Musk such hearthache, and a survey of which states by proportion of the population are the queerest in the US,

Jonny, on his own this week, covers the fallout in Russia of their Supreme Court declaring all LGBT groups and activists "international extremists." He notes how too many on the Right in this country pull from President Putin's playbook, but he offers some hope in stories of folks successfully pushing back for LGBTQ+ rights in the US. In the back half of the show he reviews the shortened term and ousting of Rep. George Santos (D-NY). He notes why we tend to treat Santos as a joke, but warns against the dangers of doing so.

Jonny and Heather discuss the the impact of restrictive legislation in many Red States and the subsequent loss of intellectuals and professionals they are experiencing. They then contemplate a European study that provides evidence gay male parents are, on average, more successful than cis/het parents at parenting. In the back half of the show, they return to Doctor Who toe gush over the queer woderful and transtastic first installment of the 60th Anniversary.

Jonny is joined by Heather O'Malley to debrief the Trans Day of Remembrance and Resilience, discuss some good polling data about gender-affirming care for trans youth, share what they are thankful for, and geek out over the first of three very queer Doctor Who episodes celebrating the 60th anniversary (!!) of the British S/F show.

Jonny curates a series of stories covering victories for LGBTQ candidates and policies in the 2023 midterm elections. This includes a stunning amount of defeats for those who ran homophobic and transphobic campaigns. Still, the haters in power are already devising ways to ignore the will of the people...if we let them! In the back half of the show, Jonny covers some significant movement in the Catholic Church rebuking homophobes/transphobes and slowly opening up to more inclusion of LGBTQ folks in the church. He also notes that the US is paying a price with the UN for its increasing amount of anti-LGBTQ legislation.

Jonny interviews Juniper Oxford, the new coordinator of the SIU LGBTQ Resource Center. She recaps SIU LGBTQ History Month events, discusses the upcoming Trans Week of Awareness including TDOR, and shares future plans of the Resource Center. In the back half of the show, Jonny puts two stories in dialogue that are about hard right politics eating their own over transphobic agendas.

Jonny reviews new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson's (R-LA) incredibly toxic anti-LGBTQ legislative and legal history. He profiles Johnson's origins in the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and the damage they are doing across the nation and across the world in the name of "defending" their religious beliefs. In the back half of the show, Jonny profiles Pastor Elazar Schoch Zavaletta of the formerly-named North Avenue Mission in Baltimore, MD. Zavaletta is an out, trans pastor serving the unhoused and marginalized in an impoverished urban neighborhood. Jonny juxtaposes Johnson and the ADF with Zavaletta and the NAM as two different paths for faith-based Christian responses to LGBTQ+ (and other) people and their needs.

Jonny interviews Carrie Vine, Executive Director of the Rainbow Cafe about ttheir upcoming (11/4) Gala fundraiser. Tickets are still available through Saturday 10/28! You can purchase tickets through links at their Facebook page, at the rainbowcafe.org web page, or here: https://t.ly/yBxqp. In the back half of the show, Jonny curates two news stories about debunked and retracted "science" about trans identity finding new homes in newly formed "research" journals and websites. Fringe and pseudoscience critical of trans identity continues to be misrepresented as "professional guidance" despite significant harms documented with "gender exploration therapy" and a broad medical and therapeutic consensus about the harms and ineffectiveness of conversion therapies.

Starting with the fiasco of the Speaker of the House oustng and subsequent fraught selection process, Jonny curates a series of recent news items that demonstrate how hate-based conservatism is self-destructive and unsustainable. The hate these folks foster for LGBTQ folks as a wedge issue pales next to the hate and lies they have for each other. In the back half of the show, Jonny examines the next potential SCOTUS case that might advance religious freedom at the expense of the health and well-bing of queer youth. He also takes stock of the rising visibility of Black queer politicians and activists.

Jonny interviews Heather O'Malley about the realease of ther new book, Hands of the Morri-- a fantasy adventure that includes a saucy raven as one of the narrators. In the process of discussing the work, they talk about what LGBTQ writers bring to fantasy/SF genres, including a brief reference to the Rainbow Space Magic conference for queer sci fi and fantasy writers. You can pick up a copy of the novel at a book release party at the Rainbow Cafe on Thursday 10/12 at 7:00 or at the the Picnic in the Park: Pride Edition/SI LGBTQ Fest this Sunday (10/15), 1-6 pm in Attucks Park. The book is also available at most online retailers or directly from the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, at: https://www.boldstrokesbooks.com/books/hands-of-the-morri-by-heather-k-omalley-4309-b

Jonny sits down with T Brown, a whistleblower about a local Sufi cult, to discuss recent efforts to share the stories of those who have gotten out of it. In the back half of the show, T discusses his experiences at the Gay Spirit Visions Fall Conference and how that both triggered cult-based traumas and significantly contrasted with them. T's story details some of the lasting damage that can be caused by structured intentional communities with charismatic and dogmatic spiritual leaders.

Jonny interviews Tricia Burns, director of the Stage Company's upcoming production of Dracula at The Varsity (October 6-8 and 12-15). In the back half of the show, Jonny digs into literary and folkloric transformations of the vampire to explore the "queer monstrous." He links peasants with torches and wooden stakes to the activities of Gays agains Groomers, Libs of TikTok, and Moms for Liberty -- organizations that unfortunately are making inroads in Illinois.

Jonny talks with Craig Gingrich-Philbrook about his experiences with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) and its likely connection to childhood homophobic trauma. Connecting to a study out of Melbourne, they discuss how bullying, disconfirmation, and anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation is potentially giving queer and trans youth develpmental neurological disorders they will have to deal with the rest of their lives. In the back portion of the show, Jonny also reviews how the Christian Right is getting states and municipalities to abandon bans on conversion therapy, despite ample evidence that such therapies do not work and cause considerable harm.

Jonny interviews SIU performance studies alum, Elizabeth Whitney, who will be presenting her latest performance, "Finland, Land of Romance," in the Kleinau Theatre on Saturday September 23 at 8 pm as a Fine Arts Activity Fee guest artist. As a queer performance artist, Whitney's latest work chronicles some of her time working in Finland, including coping with the giref of a lost sibling through ice swimming. In the back portion of the show, Jonny reviews how nation-wide anti-trans legislation is driving an uptick in trans and nonbinary candidates running for public office, with some detailed examples offered in the current Illinois election cycle. He also announces a presentation by Catalina Maria Johnson on "Latin Hip Hop as a New Poetry" at the Rainbow Cafe on September 22 at 6 pm.

In the front half of the show, Jonny reviews three studies that debunk many of the prevalent assertions of those in support of banning gender-affirming care, including: details about the increase use of gender-affirming surgical therapies from 2016-2020, studies confirming exceptionally low levels of regret for those receiving gender-affirming therapies, and a thorough clinical debunking of the problematically made-up diagnosis "rapid onset gender dysphoria" (ROGD). In the back half of the show, he recounts the recent fatal shooting in California over a business displaying the rainbow flag and connects this to the consequences of documented increased anxiety and feeling unsafe in the LGBTQ+ community.

Jonny interviews a new colleague in SIU's School of Communication Studies, Dr. Christina Ivey, who joins the faculty as the Introductory Course Director and with research interests in gender and queer theory. The interview focuses, in part, on queer faculty getting out of "red states," seeking employment in states that support and affirm LGBTQ citizens and do not intrude in the classroom. They also discuss projects like Rainbow Refuge, that are assisting queer and trans folks in moving to states that will support them. In the back half of the show, they discuss Christina's dissertation which is about the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

Yeah, it's a rebroadcast. Busy week. Intro and Outro updated for more current community events, though.Jonny interviews Alex Socorro about a new 501(c)(3) organization in the area, Southern Illinois Pride Collective (https://www.soilpridecollective.org/), that will cooridinate local LGBTQ+ community events, including local Pride festivities. In the back half of the show, Jonny reviews the details of Internal Revenue Code 501(c) organization designations, what kinds of organizations typically coordinate Pride festivities, and how Southern Illinois benefits from having different types of 501(c) advocacy organizations.